


Marks of A Different Life

by orphan_account



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: (Again eventually), (Not A College AU), AU, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Not Night Vale, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Attempted One-Night Stand, College Radio Station, Eventual Plot, M/M, New/Beginning Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 10:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11462085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Cecil Palmer lives a normal life in a normal college town, and while he knows that he's not a typical citizen, he's willing to keep that a secret - until he meets Carlos.





	Marks of A Different Life

**Author's Note:**

> back to stanning wtnv and here i am with a new au! This'll be a series, though I'm not sure how I'm going to format it, so when it says this is a first chapter, take that with a grain of salt.

Cecil Palmer walks into the building, and no one turns their head. He's dressed a bit less casually than normal today, a nice blouse with a pair of skinny pants, long hair in a complicated braid. His headphones are already around his neck, shifting slightly to expose his tattoos, but none of this is really out of the ordinary.

 

It's not a large building, one of the many small ones on campus, but it suits him fine. He slides into the tech booth of one of the recording stations, glass separating him from a young student. He's already forgotten their name, so he squints slightly to try and read the name tag on their shit. Janessa, it reads, and he nods, then presses the button to communicate with the recording booth.

 

"Alright, Janessa," He says. "We start in ten minutes. Any last minute questions?"

 

"I don't think so," Janessa says. "Tris went over everything with me yesterday, and I feel pretty confident, I think."

 

Cecil doesn't mention the contradiction in that sentence, instead looking briefly over the recording studio through the glass. Janessa has a water bottle with the college's logo on the desk, next to a coffee mug that he probably left in there last time he was recording. All the right lights appear to be on, and if they aren't, well, it is just a college radio station. They might have regular listeners, but no one who would break down their door and demand in those rude voices that they fix "whatever the hell is wrong with the sound."

 

Cecil has had that happen in other places, but here, it's all quiet. Welcome to small college towns, he supposes.

 

"Good to hear," He finally says, after what was probably too long of a pause. Janessa nods back at him, smiling a bit nervously, which is normal. Cecil isn't very worried; if this newbie screws up, it'll just be a normal beginning to any radio career.

 

He checks the time, then turns back to Janessa and holds up one hand, curling fingers in and counting down. He gets to one, and then a button is pressed on the mic and sound begins.

 

"Hello everyone, and welcome to Raz College Radio's afternoon show, bringing you all the local and campus news and updates. I'm Janessa, and no, you haven't heard my voice before. I'm new, but I'm excited to be bringing you all the news." She pauses slightly, making eye contact with Cecil, who gives her a thumbs up. "First up is something I'm sure you've all heard of by now, the fire at one of the apartments downtown..."

 

Cecil makes sure to adjust the sound quality as needed, moving through tasks on autopilot. He's done this since he was in college, and it's beyond second nature for him to work with sound. Janessa does well, tripping up a few times, but continuing on as though nothing had happened. He knows she notices, as she grimaces with every mistake, but her tenacity and vocal confidence overshadow any slip ups. He tells her as much once the show's over and they're both out of their respective booths, and she thanks him very genuinely.

 

After she leaves, he mostly works through previously recorded pieces, editing as needed, again mostly on autopilot. He's not thinking of much, consciously, which is fairly normal, these days. When it's later, getting close to the time when, in another part of his life, he would've gone to a club, he picks up his things and closes the door to his office. There's still someone in the recording booth, and he figures it must be Triscuit doing their late show. 

He walks out of the building with as little fanfare as there had been when he entered, trusting Triscuit to close up without any issue, as they have been for years, now. He doesn't know what he'll do when they finally leave this town for better opportunities. Good help is hard to find no matter where you are.

 

He doesn't go home, can't stand the silence of his apartment, which has been pointed out to him by several acquaintances as horrifically ironic. He loves sound, has been recording and editing and enjoying it since he was a child, but he keeps his apartment quiet as a grave - maybe quieter, depending on whose grave it is.

 

He goes to a local bar, instead, and there's Rowan behind the bar like they're not supposed to be, Maria's soft love for her partner allowing it, just as it always does. He sits down at the bar, tapping twice to interrupt Rowan and Maria's quiet chatting.

 

"Hello, Cecil," Maria says, smiling at him. "What can I get for you?"

 

"How about some soda?" Rowan asks, grinning and knowing they'll lose this battle. 

 

"Long Island Iced Tea, if you would, Maria," Cecil says, ignoring Rowan completely. 

 

"Coming right up," Maria says, moving behind the bar with a practiced grace as Rowan leans against the counter top, looking at Cecil disapprovingly. They open their mouth to scold him, but Cecil is saved from another round of "I-saved-your-life-and-you-repay-me-by-drinking-it-away", like he gets every time he's here when Rowan is (which is most days) by a stranger sitting down at the other end of the bar. Cecil glances to the side, eyes widening in surprise.

 

The stranger is handsome, certainly, dark hair with a touch of too-early gray in it, skin a close shade to Maria's, and - this most surprising of all - a lab coat.

 

"Hey, Carlos," Rowan says. "How's the apartment?"

 

The stranger - Carlos - hangs his head. 

 

"It's fine, Rowan," He says, a groan in his voice. "I appreciate the concern."

 

"Oh, it's not concern," Rowan assures him. "I'm making fun of you."

 

"So I noticed," Carlos says, not without amusement. 

 

"What can I get you?" Rowan asks, and Carlos raises an eyebrow.

 

"I thought you were a librarian?" He asks, and Cecil can't help himself. He laughs, which causes handsome Carlos to turn his handsome head.

 

"They are," Cecil says. "Rowan doesn't work here, Maria's just too smitten to keep them from behind the bar."

 

"True," Maria says, setting down Cecil's Long Island.

 

"I'll have what he's having," Carlos says, and Cecil can't stop the feeling of pleasant surprise from warming and exciting his chest. He takes a moment to himself, then shrugs internally and moves down next to Carlos.

 

"Cecil," He says, sticking out a hand. 

 

"Carlos," Carlos says, shaking his hand. He's smiling as he looks at Cecil, so Cecil smiles back, which causes Carlos to blush slightly and adjust his glasses. This is so cute to Cecil so quickly that he's actually slightly concerned. Relationships and Cecil don't typically go hand-in-hand, but this is a safe place to try one, with Rowan and Maria right there and the courage of alcohol right in his hand.

 

* * *

 

"So," Cecil says, the next morning, lying in bed stiffly, hands above the covers.

 

"So," Carlos echoes, position mirroring Cecil's.

 

"That was..." Cecil begins, and Carlos sighs.

 

"I understand if you aren't interested," Carlos says. "I'll leave, and I promise it won't be that awkward."

 

"No," Cecil says, shocking himself as he says it. "I...I want to try this."

 

Carlos turns to look at Cecil, and Cecil finds himself mirroring the position. They're both completely naked, clothes scattered around Cecil's floor from what was supposed to be a pleasant one-night-stand, and Carlos is smiling again, and Cecil can't stop himself from smiling back.

 

"Good," Carlos says, then blushes the same way that convinced Cecil he had to get this man back to his home. "So do I."

 

They get up, redressing, and Carlos actually puts his lab coat back on, which obviously has a story, and for the first time in too long, Cecil finds himself interested in a new opportunity.

 

He also burns the breakfast he attempts to make them, and even while he's conscious that he's never going to hear the end of it once he tells Triscuit and Rowan, it makes Carlos laugh so pleasantly, Cecil finds he doesn't mind at all.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://www.pennamepersona.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> [Buy Me A Coffee!](http:www.Ko-fi.com/A375K8Q)


End file.
